Feeding-hopper for bottle-capping machines.



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l m'l umm" Y ,nrlllllll "/l No. 800,288.l PATBNTBD SEPT. 26, 1905.

H. L. FULENWIDBR. FBEDING HOPPBR" FOR BOTTLBG'APPING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 800,288. PATBNTBD SEPT. 20, 1005.

H. L. FULENWIDBR. FEEDING HOP-PER POR BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINES.

APPLICATION .FILED SEPT. 8,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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ENTTED STATES PATENT oEEioE..

HENRY L. FULENWIDER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL 'CORK AND SEAL COMPANY, A CORPORATION l OF MAINE.

FEEDlNG-HOPPER FOR BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINES.

Specilcation of Letters Patent.

' Patented sept. 2e, 1905.

Application led September 8, 1904. Serial No. 223,800.

To all whom t moby-concern:

Beit known that LHENRY L. FULENWIDER,

a citizen of the United States,'residing at the city of Wilmington, in the county of New.

castle and Stateof Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoppers for Automatically Feeding Bottle-Caps to Bottle-Capping Machines,v of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to an improvement in hoppers for automatically feeding bottle-caps to bottle-capping machines; and the primary object is to sort and feed the caps to the bottle-capping machine inproper position to be applied and fastened to the bottle; and with this object in view my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, which will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

the slots of the gage-band when they become stuck on their way through them.v

A represents the bottom of the hopper, preferably made of cast metal and sloping at about an angle of forty-five degrees, as shown, and B is the upper end of the hopper, preferably made of sheet metal, which is removably iitted Thefront face D of the hopper is provided with an opening 1, through which to discharge the contents of the hopper into the feed-wheel, and said face is also provided exteriorly thereof with a shoulder d and an inclosing iiange (Z2. The feed-wheelv comprises two parts 2 and 3, respectively, secured together at a suitable distance apart by means of the gage-band 4, which latter has a 'plurality of slots 5 5 therein, shaped, as shown in Fig. 3, to conform to the shape of the bottle-cap and insure its delivery to the chute 6 in a certain position. Section 2 of the feed-wheel is merely a rim which turns in ycontactvwith face-plate D and within the shoulder df, the rim being provided With a projecting annulus 2', extending across the shoulder and terminating within the flange d2, whereas section 3 is in the form of a disk,

with al hub 7, which is secured by a set-screw 8, lkey, clutch 8', or other suitable means, to a'shaft 9, which. latter is journaled in boxes 10 10 in the bottom, ,face-plate, and rear wall of the hopper, and. this shaft preferably carries an agitator 11, secured in any convenient manner thereon. The purpose of this agitator is to loosen the caps and insure their 'feed to the outlet linto the'feed-Wheel.

The caps fall indiscriminately through the outlet 1 into the feed-wheel, which latter revolves at the required speed. When a cap is in the `right position, it will enter and find its way through one of the slots 5 and be delivered in proper position through chute 6 preparatory to being used by the bottle-capping machine. Chute 6 is. partly formed--that is `to sayits rear plate 16 is an extension ofv the face-plate D. An outside plate 17 is held in place to formV the outside of the chute by means of screwsor similar devices 18 18, and this plate 17 is provided with vslots 19 19, through which to observe the condition of the caps in the chute.

Sometimes a ca p becomes jammed `in one of the slots, and to remove it and throw it back into the wheel a spring-catch 2O is provided.

(Shownin detail in Fig. 4.) Also as a means for helping the cap throughwhen caught part Way in one ofthe slots 5 the cam 21 (shown in Fig. 1) is provided. Another form of remover is shown in Figs.'6 and 7 ,in which a rod 23 extends across the chute -through curved slot 24, it beingconnected with arms 25 25, pivoted at 26 and yieldingly sustained by spring 27. This latter form of cap-re- -mover may be employed in connection withl the rigidly-secured cam 21, as shown.

. In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the feed- Wheel is made in a single casting, thus dispensing with the gage-band 4, the outer edge of the Wheel running in Contact with the faceplate and the slots really being in the reverse position of those in the otherform.

IOO

vWhile I have shown clutch 8 in connection with the feed-wheel in Fig. 5, it is evident that it might also be shown in similar relation in Fig. 2. Likewise it is evident that it might be applied to the driving-pulleys instead of to the feed-Wheeh although I havenot s0 illustrated it. Its purpose is obvious. It some- .times happens that a cap catches in the wheel and Would cause something to break if there was not a clutch or similar device Whose resistance would be less than that of the cap, obstructing the movement, so that it would yield to such obstruction rather than cause damage.

Itis evident that other slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not Wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a hopper provided with a face-plate having an opening therein, of a feed-Wheel mounted adjacent the opening, a flange inclosing the feed-wheel, the flange being offset at one portion to form a chute partially surrounding the feed-wheel, a rigidly-secured cam located in the chute, one end of the cam being beveled to engage and release the caps caught in the feed-Wheel, the chute provided with a cover-plate, the cover and face plate provided with registering slots located in advance of the cam, pivotally-supported arms, a rod secured in the free ends of the arms and passing through the slots, and means for yieldingly retaining the arms and rod at one limit of their movement.

2. The combination with a hopper, a feed- Wheel in communication therewith and a chute partially surrounding the feed- Wheel, the chute provided with registering slots located adjacent the periphery of the feed-Wheel, a rod passing transversely across the chute and received in the slots, pivotally-supported arms to which the ends of the rod are secured and means for normally retaining the arms and rod at one limit of their movement.

3. rlhe combination with a hopper, a feedwheel in communication therewith and a chute to which articles are fed from the hopper, ol' a spring-catch located within the circumference of the feed-wheel, the free end of the catch adapted to engage the inner periphery of the feed-wheel to remove articles caught therein and permit them to drop bach within the wheel.

4. rlhe combination with a hopper, of an apertured face-plate forming a portion thereof, a shoulder formed in the 'face-plate, a flange carried by the shouldered portion of the faceplate, the fiange and face-plate oll'set throughout an arc of a circle, a feed-wheel received adjacent the face-plate and surrounded by the flange, the offset' portion of the flange and face-plate constituting a chute extending partially`around thc feed-wheel, the feed-wheel comprising an annular rim abutting the face plate, within the shouldered portions ther-cel', a laterally-prejecting annulus carried by the rim and extending over the shouldered portion of the face-plate and within the llange, a rotating shaft journaled in the face-plate, a disl; secured to the shaft and spaced away from the rim and a perforated gage-band secured to the peripheries of the annulns and disk.

In testimony whereof l aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY L. FULENWTIUER.

fitnessesz JOHN F. NEARY, P. A. HoR'r. 

